Project Management Institute and Det Norske Veritas Certification Release OPM3(R) ProductSuite.

TORONTO -- Product and Services Portfolio Provides Specialized Training, Tools and Services to Improve Organizational Productivity and Promote Competitive Advantage

Project Management Institute (PMI(R)), the global advocacy organization for the project management profession, and Det Norske Veritas Certification (DNV), the world leader in risk services, have introduced the OPM3(R) ProductSuite, a portfolio of assessment and improvement tools developed to measure the maturity of organizational project management capabilities. Announced during PMI's Global Congress 2005-North America, held in Toronto, the release of OPM3 ProductSuite makes available an expanded collection of specialized training, tools and services designed to help organizations more effectively manage enterprise-wide projects, programs and portfolios to achieve strategic goals.

"OPM3 ProductSuite can help organizations, regardless of their industry or service, to become more productive," said Gregory Balestrero, PMI's Chief Executive Officer. "By providing organizations with the capability to measure and assess the status of ongoing projects throughout the enterprise, and better understand how these projects align with the organization's strategy, we're giving them the tools to drive overall business improvement and gain competitive advantage."

OPM3 ProductSuite expands the assessment and improvement process and tools of PMI's OPM3 standard, which was launched in December 2003, to give organizations the ability to measure the maturity of project management processes being applied to multiple projects organization-wide. OPM3 ProductSuite is comprised of three main elements: training, tools, and services:

--The training element provides assessors and consultants with the skills they need to achieve PMI Certified OPM3 ProductSuite Assessor or Improvement Consultant status.

--The tools element encompasses a more robust assessment methodology, the ability to tailor assessments based on an organization's strategic and business priorities, and the capability to compile multiple inputs for a single assessment. Additionally, tools element enables assessment data to be input into an improvement tool that delivers planning guidance based on key performance measures and priorities defined by the organization.

--The services module consists of an assessment database, a PMI Approved OPM3 ProductSuite Service Provider Registry, and a PMI Registered OPM3 ProductSuite Consultancy status.

OPM3 ProductSuite will be offered by DNV as part of a strategic alliance with PMI to provide a faster, more comprehensive speed-to-market approach to access a growing global market. DNV will serve as the exclusive administrator of global training, certification and registration of PMI Certified OPM3 Assessors and Consultants. Neither PMI nor DNV will offer OPM3 assessment or improvement services. Instead, those tools will be offered to assessors and consultants who, in turn, will offer them to business and governmental agencies interested in measuring the level or project management maturity within their respective organizations.

Project management professionals and consultancies interested obtaining PMI Certified Assessor or Consultant status can register immediately for training through DNV at www.dnv.com. For more information regarding OPM3 ProductSuite, please visit PMI online at www.opm3productsuite.com.

About DNV

Det Norske Veritas Certification (DNV) is a global provider of services for managing risk. Established in 1864, DNV is an independent foundation with the objective of safeguarding life, property and the environment. DNV is headquartered in Oslo, Norway, and comprises 300 offices in 100 countries with 6,400 employees. The company is a world leader in providing certification of management systems, products and personnel to a wide range of industries, and has issued more than 50,000 certificates against management system standards including ISO 9001 and ISO 14001, as well as more than 600,000 individual personnel certifications.

About PMI

With more than 200,000 members in nearly 150 countries, Project Management Institute (PMI) is the leading global advocacy organization for the project management profession. PMI is actively engaged in setting professional standards, conducting research and providing access to a wealth of information and resources. PMI also promotes career and professional development and offers certification, networking and community involvement opportunities. For more than 35 years, PMI has advanced the careers of practitioners who have made project management indispensable in achieving business results. For more information, please visit www.pmi.org.

(C)2005 Project Management Institute, Inc. All rights reserved.

"PMI", "PMP", CAPM, the PMI logo and "Building professionalism in project management" and "Making project management indispensable for business results" are registered marks of the Project Management Institute, Inc.